Signor to the compagnie du gaz nouveait



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1'.

G. F. J. B. BEGHEREL. APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AGBTYLENE GAS.

Patented Aug. 10, 1897.

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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. C. P. J. B. BECHEREL.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AGETYLENE GAS. No. 587,914. Patented A-ug. 10, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES FRANCOIS JEAN BAPTISTE BECHEREL, OF PARIS, FRANCE, AS- SIGNOR TO THE COMPAGNIE DU GAZ NOUVEAU, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOFi PRODUCING ACETYLENE GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,914, dated August 10, 1897.

Application filed October 31, 1896. Serial No. 610,674. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: Similar letters of reference designate corre- Be it known that I, CHARLES FRANQOIS sponding parts in all the figures. JEAN BAPTISTE BECHEREL, a citizen of the In the example of theinvention represented Republic of France, and a resident of Paris, in Fig. 1 the gas-receiver is constituted by an 5 in said Republic, have invented a new and ordinary bell-gasometer A, and the wateruseful Improvement in Apparatus for the reservoir B is placed above this gasometer. Production of Acetylene Gas, of which the In this water-reservoir moves a float C, atfollowing is a specification, reference being tached directly to the bell of the gasometer had to the accompanying drawings. by a rod or a chain D in such manner as to IO The apparatus for the production of acetybe compelled to descend with the latter. A lene gas which is the subject of this invencentral tube arranged in the reservoir serves tion consists, essentially, first, of a generafor the passage of the rod or chain D and obtor, properly so called, simple or multiple, viates the necessity of any joint or fitting becontaining the carbid of calcium, the decomtween the said rod or chain and the bottom 15 position of which by water produces the gas of the reservoir which it passes through. which it is desired to obtain; second, of one or These parts being thus arranged, it will be more reservoirs intended to contain the water seen that if the volume of gas diminishes in necessary for the decomposition; third, of an the gasometer A the bell will be lowered and extensible gas-receiversuch,for example, as carry with it the float C. The latter imme- 20 an ordinary gasometer-an india-rubber beldiately displaces the level of the water in lows-like pocket, &c. the reservoir B and causes it to rise up to the The characteristic point of the apparatus orifice of the pipe F. A certain quantity of consists in the combination of these organs, water then flows into the gas-generator G as hereinafter described and claimed, for the until the gas produced by this arrival of purpose of regulating the quantity of water water, entering the gasometer by the deliverywhich falls upon the carbid to eifect its depipe H, causes the rising of the bell and thus composition. This regulation is produced by leaves the float C free to rise, at the same the displacement of a float of convenient voltime permitting the level of the water to reume which is placed in the water of the resdescend below the orifice of the pipe F.

0 ervoir and rises or descends under the action As to the gas-generator it maybe arranged of the movements of the movable part of the in any appropriate manner. It may be simgas-receiver. When the volume of gas or the ple or multiple, but I prefer the latter arpressure diminishes in this receiver, the bell rangement, because by employingmany small is lowered or the extensible pocket is congenerators arranged in such manner that one 5 tracted, and this movement increases the is exhausted and then another, and so on, of depth of immersion of the float in the water. the carbid which it contained the recharging Consequently the level of the water rises and may be effected without interfering with the I reaches the orifice of the tube which conducts operation in the others, the attack of the wait into the generator, and a new quantity of ter taking place only on a small part of the 0 gas immediately produced causes the rising carbid at a time. 0 of the bell or the distention of the pocket. In the example shown in Fig. 1 the genera- Figure l of the accompanying drawings tor is quadruple. It is composed of four rerepresents an elevation, partly in section, of ceivers G G G3 G for carbid arranged in one example of my invention. Fig. 2 is a steps. When the bell of the gasometer is 5 vertical sectional view illustrating a modifilowered, it brings down the float C by means 5 cation of the water-reservoir and floats. Fig. of the chain D, which causes the water to 3 is a plan view illustrating another modifirise in the reservoir B. The water then flows cation of the reservoir and floats. Fig. 4 repthrough pipe F and exhausts first the upperresents a vertical section of meams for premost receiver G. Then as soon as it reaches 50 serving the level of the water in the reservoir. in this receiver a level above the mass of car- I00 bid it passes by a siphon-pipe f into the second receiver G which it exhausts in its turn, and so on through the series. The acetylene disengaged is delivered by the pipes II 11 1 1 H into the collecting-pipe H, which conducts it to the gasometer. From the latter it passes by a service-pipe I to the place-where it is to be consumedfor example, to a row of gasburnersT. IfaccidentallythebellAbecomes completely full, at the end of its ascent it opens a cock j upon an auxiliary conduit J, by which the excess of gas may then escape.

The gas-pipes H H H H being furnished with cocks h 71 72. M and the carbid-receivers G G G3 G being connected by union-couplings in the siphon-pipes, either one of the receivers G G2 G G may be easily withdrawn to be recharged while the apparatus is in full operation. When one receiver is so withdrawn, it may be temporarily replaced by a pipe, making the necessary connections for supplying the water to the next one. This replacement is, however, generally unnecessary, the gasometer generally containing a suflicient reserve of gas to keep up the supply during the time of recharging one of the generators. To prevent the gas from escaping by the siphon-pipes, they may be closed by means of a cork. The same result may be obtained by furnishing these pipes with a check-valve or other suitable organ which efiects the closing automatically when two adjacent receivers are separated. These carbid-receivers instead of being arranged in a straight line, as represented in the drawings, may be arranged in a circle around the gasometer, but it may be understood that their dimensions are variable at will.

, It is very desirable for good operation to prevent the level of the water from descending below a determined limit in the reservoir B. This I effect, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 4, by furnishing the reservoir with a small auxiliary float K, which controls a cock L in the pipe N by which the reservoir is supplied with water, the said float being attached to a rod M, which passes freely through a hole in the-lever l, affixed to the key of the cock and which is provided with collars m m above and below the said lever. When the water is at a proper level in the reservoir, the auxilary float K, acting through the shoulder m on its rod, keeps the cock L closed; but when the water descends belowa given level the descent of the float brings the upper collar m into action on the cock and opens it.

i The reservoir then fills up until the lower shoulder m again acts on the cock and closes it.

Instead of arranging the generators in steps, as has been hereinabove described, I may employ for the same purpose independent generators fed successively with watereither by a common water-reservoir or each by a corresponding reservoir furnished with a float, all the floats being connected with the gasometer-bell in such manner as to act successively.

F is already exhausted, the generator correspending to the pipe F is in operation, While the generator (not shown) corresponding with the pipe F is not yet in operation.

When the generator in operation shall have been exhausted in its turn, the ascent of the liquid to the orifice of the pipe F will have no other effect but to refill with water this pipe and the corresponding generator without producing any gas. Consequently the pressure will continue to diminish in the gasometer, and the float C will descend lower with the bell A until the water rises to the orifice of the upper pipe F. At this moment the generator corresponding with this pipe will enter into operation and a new quantity of gas will be produced, it being well understood the reserve of gas in the gasometer is so much that-this substitution of one generator for another produces no interruption in the service.

In a case where as many water-reservoirs as generators are employed these reservoirs may be superposed, as in Fig. 2. In this example it is the upper reservoir which first sends the water to the corresponding generator. When .the latter is exhausted, the bell of the gasom eter, by descending sufiiciently, pulls down the chain D low enough for the tappet d,

with which it is furnished, to press down upon the float O, in order that it may act in its turn for the purpose of sending the water into the corresponding generator.

The arrangement may be reversed-that is to say, the chain D may be fixed to the lower float O in such manner that it operates first. This float will be then attached to the 'upper float O by a chain so loose that the latter float IIO will not commence to be drawn down until the bell of the gasometer descends very low, which can only take place when the first generator is exhausted.

It is evident that in either case in place of two superposed reservoirs of water there may be any number whatever operating successively.

Instead of superposing the reservoirs they may be arranged side by side and attached to the bell by chains of unequal length. Fig. 3 represents as an example of this arrangement a water-reservoir divided into fourcompartments B B B B furnished with floats C. O (L 0 which are attached to the gasometer-in such manner as to act successively. This arrangement may be combined with that of the superposed generators in case the apparatus is furnished with a large number of genera.- tors, it being well understood that whatever be the arrangement adopted the level of the water may be prevented from descending in the water-reservoirs below a given limit in the same manner as when the apparatus c0mprises but a single water-reservoir.

It may be understood that the respective positions of the several organs maybe diflerent from that in which they are represented in Fig. 1. Thus the Water-reservoir B instead of being placed above the gas-receiver may be placed at the side of or even below it, provided that appropriate connections assure always the ascension of the liquid in the water-reservoir when the pressure diminishes in the gas-receiver and that arrangement may be made to assure in this case the arrival of the liquid in the generator, properly so called. 1

It is moreover evident that the apparatus is to be furnished with cocks and other accessory organs, pressure-gages, valves, &c., for assuring the regularity and certainty of the operation.

That I claim as my invention is- 1. An acetylene-gas apparatus comprising in combination a gas-generator, an extensible gas-receiver, a water-reservoir, a pipe leading from said reservoir to said generator, and a float contained in the said reservoir and attached to the movable part of the gasreceiver in such manner that when the float descends with the said movable part it will cause the rise of the level of the water in the said reservoir to the orifice of the said pipe, substantially as herein set forth.

2. An acetylene-gas apparatus comprising in combination a gas-generator composed of several carbid -receivers arranged in steps and connected by siphon-pipes having detachable couplings, an extensible gas receiver, a Waterreservoir, a pipe between the said reservoir and the first carbid-receiver, and a float contained in said reservoir and connected with the movable part of the gasreceiver in such manner that when said float descends with said movable part it causes the level of the water in the reservoir to rise to the orifice of the said pipe, substantially as herein set forth.

3. An acetylene-gas apparatus comprising in combination a gas-generator composed of several carbid-receivers, an extensible gasreceiver, a water reservoir and pipes connecting the several carbid-receivers with the said water-reservoir at different levels, and a float contained in the said reservoir and attached to the movable part of the gas-receiver in such manner that when the float descends with the said movable part it causes the rise of the water in the reservoir up to the orifices of one after another of the. said pipes in succession and so conducts the water successively into the corresponding carbid receivers, substantially as herein set forth.

4. An acetylene-gas apparatus comprising in combination a gas-generator composed of several carbid-receivers, an extensible gasreceiver, Water-reservoirs in .number equal to the carbid-receivers,'pipes connecting the said receivers with the said reservoirs at different levels, and a float in each water-reservoir, all the floats being connected with the movable part of the gas-receiver in such manner as to be successively depressed during the descent of the latter to produce the rise of the levels of the water in the several reservoirs successively up to the openings of the pipes which conduct it to the corresponding carbid-receivers, substantially as herein set forth.

5. An acetylene-gas apparatus comprising in combination a gas-generator simple or multiple, an extensible gas-receiver, one or more water-reservoirs, one or more pipes between the said reservoir or reservoirs and the said gas-generator, means for preventing the level of the 'water from descending below a certain limit in said reservoir or reservoirs, and a float in each reservoir attached to the movable part of the gasreceiver in such manner that when the float descends with the said movable part it produces the rise of the level of the water in one reservoir up to the orifice of its respective pipe, substantially as herein set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

CHARLES FRANQOIS JEAN BAPTISTE BEGHEREL. /Vitnessses EDWARD P. MAOLEAN, ALOIDE FABE. 

